Absolution
by Midnight Caller
Summary: The team searches for a missing woman with a troubled past, while Jack deals with a previous professional failure. Post-Copycat AU. (JS)
1. Default Chapter

Absolution

By Midnight Caller

Disclaimer: Don't own 'em. I kind of wish I did, but I don't have room for five more housemates. 

Rated: PG-13

Spoilers: Copycat (season 2)

Summary: The team's search for a missing woman takes a toll on Jack, still hurting from a previous professional failure. Copycat AU story (alternate universe).

A/N: Words don't seem to be enough to thank Eolivet for her support, proofreading, summary and title-writing skills. :) Thank you, thank you, thank you for your critiques and praise and insight. I couldn't have done it without you. And thanks to Maple Street – you guys are wonderful. 

*****

Chapter 1

The glow from the city was bright on the horizon near a suburban neighborhood, and streetlights dotted the landscape along with a few scattered glows from late-night televisions and the orange hues of bedside lamps. The crisp air crackled with an approaching snowstorm as a few early clouds were seconds away from covering the brightness of the moon. 

This peaceful street enjoyed a few more moments of silence until the screeching of tires pierced through the calm, followed by the slamming of a car door. Motion-sensitive lights on one of the houses flickered on, illuminating the car and the figure scrambling out of it. Within seconds, the figure was at the front door of the house, and the light finally revealed her young face, eyes filled with desperation and tears as her fists pounded the door. 

"Please open the door!" she screamed, still banging, but there was no movement from inside the house. "Help me!" she cried again, followed by more banging. She repeated her plea, fumbling roughly with the lock, and this time when there was no answer, she kicked the door before throwing her body against the wood. 

Exhausted, she gave up, her cheeks streaming with tears as her breath huffed from her mouth. Wiping her eyes with her sleeve, she walked back to her car, slamming the door shut. 

The tires squealed when she pulled out of the driveway, slipping on the newly fallen sleet that had formed a slick layer of icy slush on the asphalt. 

As she drove off down the street, her car suddenly vanished into the cold winter air. 

**

__

10 Hours Missing

The woman's picture watched on as Danny wrote the case number above the mostly blank timeline. It looked like a candid snapshot, probably from a few years earlier. It seemed as if the woman was smiling, but trying not to, and a vague sadness in her eyes. 

Well, sadness or hopelessness. Sitting on the edge of the table, Samantha gazed at the photograph, trying to figure out which one. She finally looked away when Danny sat at the table and shuffled some folders, holding one out for her. 

"Andrea Feldman, 22," he began, even though he and Samantha were the only ones there. "Last night at around nine, she takes off from her boyfriend's and never comes home." He pulled out a police report and handed it to her. "A few hours after that, she shows up at her parents' in Oceanside, banging on the door and screaming. The neighbors call the cops after she leaves. No one has seen her since." 

Samantha glanced at the picture again. Such sad eyes. "Ten hours... why'd it take so long for someone to report her missing?" 

Danny shrugged. "The boyfriend says he thought she was at work." After Samantha raised a skeptical eyebrow, he nodded. "Yeah, sounded like a load to me, too. I'm gonna go talk to him in a few." 

"And the parents?"

Shaking his head, he answered, "They just got back into town early this morning. After the neighbors told them what happened, they called it in." 

Samantha exhaled, sitting back in her chair. After a moment, her eyes wandered over the bullpen to the closed office across the hall. 

"He's not here yet," Danny remarked, jotting something on a pad. 

Samantha's eyes jerked back to the table and she cleared her throat, pretending to organize the file in front of her. "I just didn't know if he was taking off this week after... what happened," she said as casually as possible. 

Tapping his pen on the table, Danny finally looked up, meeting her eyes. "Well... you know Jack." 

Their glance was interrupted as Jack suddenly approached, his coat flung over his arm. He avoided looking at either of them, focusing on the picture on the board. "This is the girl you told me about." 

Danny nodded. "I was going to talk to the boyfriend."

Lost in thought for only a moment, Jack snapped back into work mode. "You'll meet Martin and Vivian at the girl's apartment in Brighton Beach to go over the place with Forensics. I'm going to go talk to the parents." 

A look of slight disappointment passed over Danny's features, but he quickly pushed it away, gathering up his files. 

Still keeping his eyes on the board, Jack drew a breath. "Sam," he said, and her eyes snapped up to him. "You're with me." 

Before she could reply, he walked away, crossing the hallway to his office. She watched him go, a vague sadness in her eyes. 

**

The engine sputtered slightly before turning over, gradually humming to life as a few puffs of smoke spurted from the tail pipe. Jack waited a few seconds, letting the car warm up a bit, and then eased out of the FBI's garage and waited for a chance to pull out into traffic. 

As they slowly made their way down the block, Samantha finally turned to look at Jack for the first time since she'd seen him that morning. At first glance it might have just seemed like he hadn't slept well in a few nights, but as she studied him closer, it became more apparent that, more likely, he hadn't slept at all in several days. The beginnings of stubble poked out from his skin, and his eyes possessed a strange hollowness that she'd never seen before. 

He cleared his throat and ran his hand over his mouth; he was thinking about something. Squinting out into the light, he furrowed his brow, trying to make sense out of what had just passed over his mind. But then, just as quickly, it was gone, and he sighed heavily, his shoulders slumping against the back of the seat. 

Samantha hesitated for a moment, finally looking away in time to see a cab cut off the car ahead of them. Then, she turned back to man next to her. 

"Jack?" 

His eyes scanned the road. "Yeah..." he answered absently. 

She swallowed, hesitating again. She ran the words over in her mind, but then shut her eyes, looking down at her feet. "I just didn't know if you'd eaten breakfast yet." 

He frowned slightly, glancing at her for the first time since they'd gotten in the car. "Why, are you hungry?"

She got caught in his eyes for a moment. Such sad eyes. "I'm fine." 

Another second passed between them, and then a honk from behind jerked his eyes back to the road. When another minute passed and he said nothing, she assumed the conversation was over and went back to staring out the window.

**

Danny snapped on a new pair of gloves, bagged the pills he'd found in the medicine cabinet, and continued his search of the bathroom. Squatting down, he opened the cabinet under the sink and pulled out a shoebox. He slid off the lid, pausing for a moment when he saw the Ziploc bag filled with marijuana. Just as he was pulling it from the box, Martin appeared in the doorway. 

"I guess some people like to smoke it anywhere they can," Martin remarked with a smirk, leaning against the doorframe. 

Danny smiled, placing the drugs in another evidence bag. He replaced the box back under the sink and followed Martin out into the hallway, noticing only then that the Agent was holding a stack of mail in his hand. 

"What is all that?"

Martin flipped through the envelopes. "Late notices, unpaid bills, statements from every major credit card company. Your basic financial nightmare." He waved toward the living room area. "The answering machine is nothing but collectors." 

Holding up the bag of marijuana, Danny said, "Well now we know where all the money was going..." 

**

Outside, Vivian was pacing on the lawn, her phone plastered to her ear. "Yes," she said into the phone, more than slightly irritated. "Well this is an emergency. His name is Thomas Durham and he lives in Brighton Beach." She exhaled loudly, obviously unhappy with the person on the other end. "Durham. D-U-R-H-A-M. Yes. Yes, I know where he _lives_ -- I need a license number and car registration." 

Danny and Martin joined her on the lawn, buttoning their coats as they gave their evidence to a forensics officer standing near an FBI van. Danny donned his sunglasses as he rubbed his hands together, trying to warm his fingers by breathing on them. 

He gave Vivian a smile, and she rolled her eyes angrily, cocking her head as she held the phone to her ear. 

"Yes?" she finally said, sounding somewhat hopeful for the first time. She cradled the phone with her shoulder as she pulled out her pad and a pen. "Yes... what make? Uh-huh. Color? ...Okay. Yes, thank you." 

She hung up, exhaling loudly as she turned to her fellow agents. "Here's what I got on the boyfriend, Tommy," she stated, reading off the pad. "He still uses his parents' house in Hoboken as his primary residence, but gets some of his mail sent here. Same with his driver's license and some credit cards." 

Martin chimed in, "Well, we found more than enough credit card bills inside, that's for sure." 

Still rubbing his hands, Danny asked, "What about his car?"

Vivian checked her pad. "A '92 Chevy Celebrity." 

Danny stilled his hands as something caught his attention down the street. "...Red?"

"Yeah..." Vivian responded, turning to follow his gaze. Before she could even speak, Danny had taken off across the grass. 

"FBI, stop right there!" he yelled at a young man standing next to his red Celebrity. Martin was close on his heels, his hand hovering over his gun as he approached the suspect. 

The man tried to scramble back into his car, but Danny was too fast, pulling him out of the front seat by his collar and slamming him against the side of the vehicle. 

"Put your hands where I can see them," he instructed, and the young man obeyed. 

Martin made his way around to their side of the car, weapon drawn, but keeping his distance. "Thomas Durham?" he called out. The young man nodded. 

"What part of 'FBI, stop' did you not understand, Tommy?" Danny asked while frisking the suspect he had pinned to the car. 

Tommy's eyes were wide with shock. "I just... I just didn't know what y'all were doing here."

Satisfied that Tommy was clean, Danny stepped back and told him to spin around. Vivian finally strolled over, her hand poised over her gun. 

Tommy stuck out his chest in a transparent act of defiance as he shifted anxiously, his worn out combat boots scraping on the street. His blonde hair needed to be combed, and his biker jacket was dirty. 

As she watched his tough guy act, Vivian decided Tommy's eyes were frightened enough as they peeked out from beneath long, blonde lashes. 

Danny crossed his arms, narrowing his eyes. "Your girlfriend Andrea's been missing for almost 12 hours. You wouldn't happen to know where she is, do you?" 

"She's still missing?" Tommy asked incredulously, clenching his fists nervously. 

Martin holstered his gun and stepped closer. "You want to tell us what's going on? What happened the last time you saw her?" 

Tommy crossed his arms and shrugged. "Not much. She said she was gonna go take off or something, and she left."

Vivian stared him down. "That's it? Your next door neighbor said he heard you screaming at her." 

Pushing his tongue around in his mouth, Tommy reconsidered. "We had a small fight."

"About what?" Danny asked. 

Shrugging, Tommy answered, "C'mon, you know women – do you ever know what you're fighting about?" 

Danny looked unimpressed, stepping closer. "Well, you can either answer us here, or at the FBI office... along with your big bag of weed." 

Tommy straightened, clearing his throat. "She was always on me about gettin' a job. I told her to back off, and we fought." 

After a long pause, Danny finally nodded, still not fully convinced. "Alright, Tommy. Don't leave town, okay? We've going to need to talk to you again." 

The young man looked slightly less than thrilled as he got back into his car and sped off down the street. 

**

tbc…


	2. Chapter 2

Absolution

By Midnight Caller

Disclaimer, ratings, summary, and all that good stuff in chapter one. :) 

Thank you to everyone for the reviews! 

*****

Chapter 2

The chirp of her Nextel woke Samantha from her half-asleep dream, and she sat up, glancing at Jack quickly before putting the phone to her ear. 

"Spade," she answered. 

Jack briefly looked over to her and she mouthed 'Danny.' He nodded and went back to driving as Sam pulled out her notepad to jot down a name. 

"Yeah, okay, I'll tell him. Thanks, Danny." The phone clicked back onto her belt and she rested her elbow up near the window, leaning her head against her hand. 

"He says forensics didn't find any signs of foul play, but they did find some pot in the bathroom." Jack stayed quiet, his mind elsewhere. Sam flipped open her pad again. "Some anti-depressants in the medicine cabinet gave us the name of her doctor, a Gabriel Patel. Danny says he's got an office in Baldwin Harbor. They also found the boyfriend, Tommy, hanging around the house – he says they had a fight the night she showed up at her parents'. He didn't even know Andrea was still missing." 

Jack nodded inattentively, as his eyes suddenly caught something. Samantha followed his gaze to the exit sign they were approaching: 

"Oceanside – 3 mi

Cedarhurst – 3.5 mi

Rockville Centre – 2 mi." 

As the sign whipped past, Jack couldn't take his eyes from the last name on the list, his head turning to follow the words. 

He was so engrossed in the sign that he didn't notice the car had started to drift onto opposing traffic. Several loud honks brought his eyes back front, and he suddenly flinched as he saw oncoming traffic headed straight for them. 

"Jack!" he heard from the passenger side. 

Samantha's hands were instantly on the wheel, steering them back into the safety of the right lane as a large truck barely missed the side of their car.

She kept her hands where they were until he grabbed the wheel from her, blinking rapidly as he gruffly announced, "I got it." 

When she didn't let go, he shot her a look, his hollow, sad eyes scaring her enough to let go of the wheel. She slowly sat back in her seat, her eyes still watching him carefully. 

**

The engine cut out as Jack turned the keys, but then he sat for a moment, not making any move to get out of the car. Sam paused, her fingers on the handle as she looked over to him. He stared at his lap, fiddling the keys in his hands. 

"You okay?" Sam asked quietly, her hand automatically landing on his arm. 

His eyes shifted from the keys to the fingers draped over his sleeve, and for a moment, he allowed himself to enjoy the gesture. Raising his head, he finally met her gaze. 

"I... uh... I'm sorry," he practically whispered, and as her expression softened, he looked away before he lost himself in her eyes. 

Clearing his throat, he reached for the handle. "We should go," he declared. 

Looking away, Samantha drew back her hand and opened the door. 

**

Patricia Feldman sat on the couch, hands clasped between her knees, as her husband David paced behind her, his large arms crossed over his chest. 

"How could this have happened?" he remarked, mostly to himself, running a hand through his gray hair. "How could no one have seen her?" 

Sam glanced at Jack, but he was engrossed in a picture on the mantle, so she stepped forward. "I realize how difficult this must be, but we need to know as much about Andrea as we can so we can try to figure out where she might be." 

Mrs. Feldman frowned in confusion, looking over her shoulder. Sam explained, "It's called profiling, and it's more effective than you might think." 

David stopped pacing. "You don't know what I think, Agent Spade." 

Samantha licked her lips and looked again to Jack for some help. 

His back was to her as he held a picture frame delicately in his hand, his eyes wandering over the family in the photo. On Andrea's left was her mother. Her hair was shorter, and darker; Jack guessed the photograph to be several years old. On Andrea's right was another similarly aged girl with long, dark hair. Pretty. She was laughing, glancing sideways at Andrea, who was doing the same to her. 

"Who is this next to Andrea?" Jack asked, holding up the picture. 

David exhaled. "That's Karen, our other daughter." 

Jack put down the frame. "And where is she?" 

Patricia rubbed her hands together. "Brooklyn. She's a photographer." 

Stepping forward, David's hands moved to his waist. "Look, I don't see how this is helping. Karen isn't missing – Andrea is, and—"

"Mr. Feldman," Jack interrupted, stepping closer. "Like Agent Spade said, it's important for us to know as much as Andrea as possible so we can figure out where she might have gone if she were in trouble." 

"You think she's in trouble?" Patricia asked, panic flooding her voice. 

Samantha leaned forward on her chair. "We're not sure," she said, trying to keep her voice calm. 

"We're going to need an address for Karen," Jack said. Samantha shot him a look, but he wasn't paying attention. 

Patricia got up to look, and David went back to pacing. "When was the last time you saw Andrea?" Jack asked, pulling out his pad. 

David paused for a moment, thinking. "The day before we left town, about a week ago. I was surprised because she actually stopped by." Off of Jack's look, he explained. "We're not too close with Andrea. She's ... distanced herself from most of the family, and we're usually lucky to get a phone call." 

"What did she want?" 

Running a hand through his hair, David returned to pacing. "She wanted to borrow money." 

"How much?" Jack interrogated, and Sam tried to catch his eyes to tell him to back off. 

"Eight hundred dollars." 

"Did she say what it was for?" 

Finally, David stared him down. "No, she didn't." 

Jack stared right back. "Did you give her the money?"

David bit his lip. "No, we didn't. We... she decided a long time ago that she didn't need us. She made a big effort to shut us out of her life. Then she shows up here out of nowhere one day and wants eight hundred dollars? We wanted to help her but... we just couldn't."

Jack thought for a moment before asking, "And do you have any idea why she might have needed that much money? Debt? Drugs?"

"My daughter does not do drugs!" David stepped toward Jack, his voice raised. 

Jack was unfazed. "Our agents found marijuana in her apartment. Any ideas?" 

David looked away, breathing heavily. He shut his eyes. "It was probably Tommy's."

"Was he a drug dealer? He said he and Andrea fought the night she disappeared." 

Exasperated, David flung his arms. "I don't know! He never had any money, so probably not. And they were always fighting. Tommy is impossible sometimes." 

Jack wrote on his pad, and Samantha took the chance to step in. "Do you have any idea why she would have shown up here last night, banging on the door?" 

David shrugged, running his hand over his mouth again. "I don't know." After a moment, he added, "She doesn't have a key." 

This interested Jack. "Why not?" 

"We had them changed after an incident with Tommy," David said defensively. "It was for the best." 

"Right." 

As the two men prepared to square off, Patricia returned with an index card, handing it to Samantha. "That should be current. It's got her phone numbers, too." 

Samantha smiled. "Thank you." She turned to Jack, finally catching his eyes, and nodded toward the door. 

David watched them leave, and then draped his arm around Patricia as her head fell to his shoulder. 

**

Outside, Jack walked out in front of Sam, halfway to the car before she even got past the chimes hanging from the porch. As she shut the door, she glanced at the lock, noticing the scuffs and scratches in and around the keyhole. She made a mental note and then looked up in time to see Jack leaning against the car, his eyes watching something down the street. 

When she'd gotten to her side of the car, Sam looked over the roof to Jack, still staring at something distant. "They're lying," he mumbled, and Samantha shrugged, her eyes locked onto him. 

"Jack." 

He blinked, looking at her, and then seemed surprised to find anger in her expression. 

"Was that your new bad cop/good cop technique?" Sam asked, raising her eyebrows. 

Jack dismissed her and got into the car. That only seemed to anger his companion, and she got in and slammed the door, grabbing the keys from Jack's hands before he could start the engine. 

"Sam, give me the keys." 

"I asked you a question," she growled, staring at him as she held her hand out of his reach. 

"We got what we needed," he said roughly, exhaling loudly as he sat back in his seat like a teenager awaiting a lecture from a parent. 

Samantha gathered her thoughts, her eyes scanning over Jack's features, his restless eyes. Her voice softened. "I've just never seen you like this before, I—" 

She stopped when he finally looked at her, caught completely off-guard by the darkness she saw in his eyes. Several long seconds passed between them, until she eventually looked away, feeling herself on the brink of tears. She held out her hand, turning away from him as her other hand came up to cover her mouth. 

He took the keys and shoved them into the ignition switch. Samantha didn't notice as Jack stole a glance at her before starting the car and backing down the driveway. 

**

tbc…


	3. Chapter 3

Absolution

By Midnight Caller

Disclaimer, ratings, etc. in chapter one. Thank you for all the kind words!! I'm glad you guys are enjoying the story. :)

**

Chapter 3

The marker squeaked on the whiteboard as Danny underlined the details of Andrea's whereabouts for 7pm on the night she disappeared: "Fights with Tommy." He dropped the marker on the ledge and turned back to the others, gathered around the table. 

"So we know she was in major debt," Vivian began, casting a sidelong glance at Jack as he stared through the surface of the table. 

Danny flipped open a file. "12,000 dollars just on this one credit card," he added. 

Samantha sighed. "And she asked her parents for 800 dollars the night before she disappeared." 

"Any idea what it was for?" Vivian asked. 

Samantha shook her head. "That wouldn't even begin to pay off some of those cards." 

"What if it was something more immediate?" Martin inquired, leaning forward. "Like she owed a bookie or a drug dealer or something that was more urgent?" 

"My money is on the boyfriend," Danny said, and Vivian nodded in agreement. "I don't think he's telling us all he knows." 

"Should we bring him in?" Samantha asked. 

"No," Jack said, finally joining the conversation. 

All eyes were on him as he leaned on his elbows. "Danny, you'll get to interview the boyfriend again. Take Martin and follow Tommy to see if he pays a visit to any 'friends' of his." He turned to Vivian. "Go talk to Andrea's doctor in Baldwin Harbor and see what you can find out." 

Vivian, Martin and Danny gathered their coats and headed out, leaving Sam alone at the table with Jack. She watched him, but said nothing as he stared at the whiteboard. 

Finally, she pursed her lips and leaned close. "I just want to know if I should prepare for you to be like this the rest of this case." 

He met her eyes, cocking his head. "And how I am being, exactly?" 

She tried to keep her voice low. "Agitated. On edge. Impatient." 

He sighed loudly, looking away. 

"Look at what happened on the highway today, Jack, I just—"

"That was an accident," he cut her off, and she was immediately quiet. 

She held her tongue for a moment, pleading silently with her eyes. Keeping her voice low, she asked, "You're going to try to tell me that this doesn't have anything to do with Doris?" 

Her words struck an instant nerve, and he stiffened at the name. Clenching his jaw, he looked down at the table, blinking. "We have to go talk to the sister," he said as calmly as he could, getting up from the table to put on his coat. 

**

In the garage, Jack waited for Samantha as she came out of the elevator, and as they approached the car, he moved to her side, putting a hand on her arm to stop her. She was surprised to see him holding out the keys to her. 

"You drive," he said quietly. 

She gently took the keys from his hand as he brushed past her to open the passenger door.

Before she started the engine, she glanced over to her right. Jack was staring out the windshield while his fingers played with a button on his coat. 

"It wasn't your fault," Sam said softly, and saw him shift slightly in his seat, still avoiding eye contact. 

After another few seconds passed without a response from him, she turned over the engine and backed out of the space. 

**

"Have you ever seen '2001 A Space Odyssey'?"

From his reclined position in the parked car, Martin turned to look at his passenger, a frown crinkling his brow. "Yeah..." 

Shifting to his side, Danny pushed his sunglasses up onto his head, his hands moving excitedly as he talked. "Okay, a friend of mine made me watch this thing the other night and... and I just don't get the end. I get the monkeys and the bone and the big black thing they find on Jupiter or wherever, and I get the HAL computer, but what is with the floating baby?" 

Martin blinked, obviously not expecting this conversation. "It's been a while, but... I think it's supposed to represent regression, or maybe... the cyclical nature of life or something." 

Danny was dumbstruck, sticking his head forward. "Okay… a floating baby in space is supposed to be symbolic?" he asked, a little irritated. 

Chuckling, Martin answered, "Well, yeah. Like a giant egg or something. Someone explained it to me once." 

Danny shook his head, exhaling, but he snapped right back into professional mode when Martin suddenly tapped his arm and quietly said, "Here we go." 

They both looked out the window to see Tommy crossing the street of this low-income neighborhood carrying a paper bag under one arm. 

He looked both ways before knocking on the door of one house, and before long, a sloppily dressed man answered and let him in. 

Martin looked at Danny. "Do we wait? Or go in?" 

Danny twisted his mouth. "We wait. We don't know how many more are in there." 

They didn't have to wait long; in a few minutes Tommy emerged, bag-less, and got back into his car. 

Keeping their distance, they followed him a few streets away to another shady-looking house. 

Tommy parked in the driveway, but barely got out of his car before the agents were upon him, Danny pushing him against the hood of the car as Martin frisked him down. Pulling a wad of cash out of Tommy's pocket, Martin held it up for Danny to see. 

"Makin' a little deal, Tommy?" Danny asked, pushing Tommy against the metal. 

"It's not what you think." 

"Yeah, well, you can tell us what we think downtown," Martin said as they led Tommy back to their car. 

**

__

15 Hours Missing

Sam rang the buzzer to the loft, feeling Jack behind her as they waited for an answer. Glancing over her shoulder, she saw him staring at the floor, but before she could say anything her eyes caught someone approaching them down the hall. It was the pretty, dark-haired woman from the picture. When she saw the two agents, she slowed, obviously hesitant.

"Can I help you?" she asked, switching her bag to the other hand. 

"Karen Feldman?" Samantha asked, and the woman nodded. Sam pulled her badge, and saw Jack's arm reach past her as he did the same. "Agents Spade and Malone with the FBI. We need to talk to you about your sister." 

Karen looked shocked, and then proceeded to open the locks. After having trouble with one key, she explained, "These new keys stick sometimes." The door finally opened and she led them into her apartment. 

A large seamless background hung between two c-stands in one corner of the room that was scattered with bits and pieces of photography equipment. In another corner was a small kitchen, and some hallways led off into darkness at the far end of the room. 

Karen set her bag down on the counter, shrugged off her coat, and crossed her arms, leaning on one arm of her sofa. "Is Andrea okay?" 

"She's been missing since last night," Samantha informed her. 

"Oh my God," Karen gasped, covering her mouth with her hand. 

Jack stepped forward, brushing his shoulder against Sam's. "When was the last time you saw your sister?" 

Karen exhaled, thinking as she massaged her neck with her hand. "It's been a while... a few months at least."

"That seems kind of unusual, two sisters living in the same city who never see each other," Jack fired back, but eased off when he felt Samantha lightly press up against him. 

"We aren't very close," Karen explained. "Not for a while..." 

"What happened?" Sam asked.

Karen shrugged. "I'm not sure. I guess one day we suddenly realized that we really didn't have anything in common." 

Jack looked at her for a moment, and then flipped open his pad. "Your parents said they changed the locks on the house recently – do you have a key?" 

"Yes, but it's really just if they need me to watch the house or something," Karen said, rubbing her hands over her thighs. "I mean, they keep some spare cash in there, so I don't think that many people have a key." 

Jack tipped his head. "That must've made your sister a little angry, that she was locked out and you weren't." Samantha shot him a glance, but she knew it was the right thing to ask. 

"Look," Karen said, "My sister chooses to have a loser, junkie boyfriend. She chooses to not work half of the year and bum money off of whoever will give it to her. And it isn't my house, anyway – I don't make the rules." 

"Did she ever ask to borrow any money from you?" Jack asked. 

"No," Karen replied quietly. "She's too proud to do something like that." 

After a moment, Jack cleared his throat to get the conversation back on track. "You said you had to have new keys made..." Karen nodded. "Why's that?"

She swallowed. "I lost mine." 

"Wouldn't you feel safer changing the locks?" 

Karen blinked, caught in Jack's stare. "Well, I'll do that, too, of course. I just haven't had time yet." 

"And your parents' house keys... did you lose those, too?" Jack asked without missing a beat. 

Sam's eyes moved from Jack to Karen.

"Yes," Karen said, and then stood. "I have a client coming in a few minutes... if we're done here..." 

Jack nodded. "Yeah, we are." 

**

Outside the building, Sam pulled her scarf closer around her neck and turned to Jack as they walked back to the car. "So..."

He didn't answer at first, and she thought maybe he didn't hear her at all. 

"Ja—"

"We're running out of time," he remarked, still not looking at her. 

Sam jogged a few steps to catch up to him. He never walked this fast. "So what's the plan?"

Jack kept talking as they approached the car. "She must have really wanted that eight hundred bucks..." he murmured.

"So what's our plan?" Sam repeated, trying to keep her patience. "Head back to the office?" 

"Yeah..." he said absently, drawing an exasperated sigh from the woman behind him. 

Jack paused outside the passenger door, turning to look at Sam as she was about to step off the curb. 

She caught his eyes and stopped. "What?" 

Their eyes connected, and he searched her features as if he hadn't looked at her for a long time. But just as she took a step toward him, he finally spoke. "Nothing," he said, turning to open the door. 

Sam bit her lip and walked around to the driver's side. Jack was pulling out his phone as she wrapped the seat belt around her shoulder. He checked the numbers, hesitating for a beat before he took the call. 

"Malone." 

Sam turned the keys over in her hand, waiting for Jack to finish. 

"Yeah, I'm... fine," he said, his voice softening. He caught Sam's eyes as he continued to talk. "You don't have to keep checking up on me," he said, rather irritated. 

Suddenly very uncomfortable, Sam looked away, pushing the keys into the ignition lock. 

Jack's voice got increasingly louder as he spoke. "How many times are we going to have this argument?" He took a deep breath. "Fine," he said quietly, and flipped his phone closed. 

Before he had a chance to say anything, Samantha turned the keys and started the car. 

**

tbc…


	4. Chapter 4

Absolution

By Midnight Caller

Disclaimer, ratings info, etc, in Chapter 1.

Thank you x's 100 to everyone who's kept up with this so far – I really appreciate all the feedback and kind words! :) 

**

Chapter 4

The receptionist stared at Vivian's gun as the agent paced near the desk, hands on her hips. A few times she checked her watch, and then went back to looking around the modest waiting room. The place could definitely use a makeover, though Vivian wasn't sure they could afford it. 

After a few minutes, a tall, dark-haired man entered the room wearing a white lab coat. Flashing a small smile at Vivian, he stuck out his hand. 

"Gabriel Patel." 

Vivian shook his hand, her expression neutral. "Agent Johnson." 

He indicated for her to follow him, as he said to the secretary, "I'll be in my office. Hold my calls, please." 

Patel led Vivian to the end of the hallway, and into a small office decorated with a few diplomas and family photographs. Vivian sat in a creaky chair as the doctor took a seat at his desk. 

"I'm here regarding one of your patients, Andrea Feldman." 

A look of concern stiffened Patel's features. "Is she in some kind of trouble?"

"No one has seen her since last night," Vivian answered, her voice calm. Patel blinked and looked down at his desk, obviously worried. Seeing his reaction, she asked, "What kind of medication do you prescribe for her?"

Patel's eyes searched the room as he remembered. "Just Paxil. She used to be on Xanax but since it's highly addictive, I moved her onto something a little less... potent." 

"Xanax... so she was depressed?" 

The doctor cocked his head. "Well, anxious. Suffered from panic attacks." 

Vivian jotted on her pad. "Do you think her disappearance could be related to that?"

"I don't think so..."

"Would she have stopped taking her medication for any reason?" 

"Well, yes. I told her to." 

Vivian furrowed her brow. "What do you mean?" 

Patel hesitated for a moment before answering, running his hand over his jaw. "I thought it would be in her best interests health-wise... I mean... I didn't think I was wrong in that regard." 

Frowning, Vivian leaned forward. "I'm going to need you to explain." 

**

__

19 Hours Missing

Jack stared through the glass, watching Tommy squirm under Danny's questioning. 

Martin stood against the wall, arms crossed, trying to look serious as Danny slammed his hands on the table.

"What were you doing at that house today, Tommy?" he asked, dipping his head to make eye contact with his reluctant suspect. "Makin' a score?"

"So what if I was?" Tommy spit back, crossing his arms. 

Danny stepped back and looked at Martin, incredulous. 

"The so what of it is that it's illegal, for one," Martin reminded him. Tommy blinked and kept his eyes forward. "You know what else is illegal?" he asked, stepping closer. Tommy remained silent. "Lying to a federal agent." Tommy swallowed. "Know what's even more illegal than that?" Martin glanced at Danny before bringing his eyes back to his suspect. "Lying to _two_ federal agents." 

Tommy finally spoke. "I didn't lie--!" 

"What'd you sell to make that wad of cash today? Dope? Crank?" 

Tommy smirked at Danny's slang. "I make potholders." 

"Cute," Martin retorted. 

"What was your fight with Andrea about, Tommy?" Danny asked. 

"I _told_ you – noth—"

"I don't believe you." Danny said, raising his eyebrows. 

Tommy sat back and held up his hands, a smug look crossing his features. "I can't help that." 

Martin exhaled and Danny stood, rolling his eyes. 

Outside the window, Jack sighed as well, frustrated at this stalemate. He leaned against the glass and stared at the floor, his eyes restless. When he heard the sound of approaching footsteps, he looked up to see Sam coming down the hall. 

Clipping her phone back onto her belt, she said, "That was Vivian – you're never going to believe this." 

"What?"

"Andrea is six weeks pregnant," she answered, punctuating the end of the sentence with a raised eyebrow. 

Jack just stared at her for a moment, before turning quickly toward the door of the interview room. 

"Jack—" Sam called after him, but he didn't stop. 

Danny was in the middle of a sentence when Jack suddenly burst through the door, heading straight for Tommy. 

"Who the fuck---?"

Danny jumped back and Martin flinched when Jack grabbed the back of Tommy's neck and slammed his head into the table. 

"When were you going to tell us that you'd knocked her up?" Jack yelled, bringing his head down to Tommy's level. The young man stared at him, shocked, as Martin and Danny both reacted to the news. 

Jack finally released Tommy's neck, but stayed close to him. "That's what you fought about, right?" When Tommy didn't say anything, Jack slammed his hand down on the table. "Tell me, _right now_!" 

Tommy flinched, his hands coming up instinctively to protect himself. "Okay, Jesus! Yes, we fought about it!" 

Jack kept his hands on the table. "Did you want her to get rid of it?" 

"Yes!" He met Jack's eyes and quickly added, "So did she! We both agreed on that."

"So why'd you fight about it?" 

"Because," Tommy started, exasperated, "She wanted to go to some doctor to have it done and it was going to cost a fortune!" 

Jack narrowed his eyes in disgust. "Where'd you _want_ her to go, Tommy? To one of your cranked-out cokehead buddies?" 

Tommy tisked. "No way! They have these abortion pills you can take." 

Jack just stared at him. "Pills," he reiterated, almost calmly, unable to believe what he was hearing. 

"Yeah... I read about them on the internet," the young man said. "You can get them real cheap – just pop a few and that's that." 

Jack glared at him. "That simple, huh?"

Tommy shrugged.

"So what was that deal about today?"

Sighing, Tommy finally answered. "Since she ran off... I figured she was mad at me... so I thought maybe I'd help her get the cash. You know... for the thing." 

Jack scoffed. "How noble of you." 

Tommy glared at him. "Hey, fuck you, man." 

Ignoring him, Jack pressed on. "So after she went to her parents' – where did she go?"

Tommy's eyes were wide as he stared Jack down. "I. Don't. Know." 

Jack's cheeks were flushed, his breathing ragged as he finally straightened and walked out of the room, slamming the door behind him. Still stunned by the last few minutes, Martin and Danny kept quiet as Tommy rubbed his neck. 

**

Sam stood in the hallway, trying to stay calm after what she had just witnessed. Jack barreled out of the room, headed in her direction, and just barely brushed her shoulder as he kept walking down the hallway. 

"Jack," she called, starting after his stalking figure. 

He disappeared around a corner and then she saw a flash of him getting into the elevator. Picking up her stride, she sprinted down the hallway and hit the button just in time to open the doors again. 

As she stepped in and the doors shut, she met Jack's restless eyes, and she almost turned right back around and walked back out. But then the car shifted, and he shoved his hands in his pockets and leaned against the wall, preparing himself for a lecture. 

Samantha stayed where she was, on the opposite side of the elevator, but spoke as if she were right next to him. "Jack," she began, softly, watching how uncomfortable he was. 

Against her better judgment, she stepped toward him, placing a hand on his arm. "You always seem to know what to say," she said, as his eyes continued to search hers. "And I... don't." She looked down at her hand for a moment, resting on his arm. "But do you think..." she paused, taking a breath as their eyes connected once more. "…Do you think you're...ready?" 

Something suddenly snapped inside of him, and he turned, grabbing her wrists. "I let that woman die," he growled.

"Spaulding killed her, Jack, not you—"

  
"I didn't find her in time – it was _my fault_!" he yelled back, his breath hot on her cheeks. 

She winced, even though her fear superceded the physical pain he was causing her. "Jack, you're hurting me," she said quietly. 

Just as quickly as he'd become angry, he immediately softened, letting go of her. 

When she backed away rubbing her arms, he exhaled loudly, moving toward her. "Sam..." 

He tried to reach for her but she shied away, whispering, "I'm sorry I upset you." 

He did his best to get her to look at him, but she wouldn't, and just as his hand found her arm, the doors opened and she broke loose from him, quickly walking out into the hallway.

After a moment's hesitation, he sighed and took off after her, watching as her form disappeared around the corner into the bullpen. 

"Sam!" he called, but she was too far away, or chose not to respond. 

When he was outside the door to his office, he tried again. "Sam," he said, a little quieter than before but definitely loud enough for her to hear. But she didn't make a move toward him, flipping furiously through some files at her desk. 

He frowned and exhaled, pursing his lips as he started to move toward her. Just then, a voice from behind him -- from inside his office – caught his attention. 

"Jack..." 

He turned, his expression changing rapidly from determination to surprise, and then to a sense of dread, as he didn't know whether or not she'd heard him moments before. 

"Maria," he said to the woman standing next to his desk. 

**

tbc…


	5. Chapter 5

Absolution

By Midnight Caller

Disclaimer, ratings, etc. in Chapter 1.  

Thank you for sticking with the story so far!  And for all the incredibly kind words. :)

**

Chapter 5

"I was in the neighborhood," Jack's wife said, and then noticed how off-guard he was.  "Are you in the middle of something?" she asked, indicating toward the bullpen.  

Jack swallowed.  "No, we were uh... just interviewing a suspect..."  He watched her nod, but couldn't tell if she believed him.  "What are you doing here?"  

Maria furrowed her brow, getting defensive.  "I won't bother you long, I just wanted to ask if you'd be home for dinner."  

He sighed heavily, shaking his head.  "I don't think so."  When his wife started to roll her eyes, he quickly added, "This is a big case and we're running out of time.  There's an unborn baby involved..."

Maria held up her hand. "You don't have to explain.  Should I tell the girls you won't be coming home tonight?"

"Maria..." he started, but she turned away to pick up her coat.  He exhaled and looked at the floor, briefly shutting his eyes.  

"Remember... " She paused, catching his eyes.  "Remember that place, Little Tony's?"  

A small smile crossed his lips.  "Sure.  I think the last time we were there... you were pregnant with Hanna."  A tinge of regret tainted his voice.  

Maria smiled, but her eyes were sad, seemingly trapped in the past.  "I miss that," she said, quietly.  

Jack nodded solemnly, "I know."  

His wife took a small step toward him.  "I feel like I'm losing you, Jack," she practically whispered.  

He looked at her now, memories flooding his thoughts, a deep sorrow filling his eyes.  He let out a slow breath and reached out, taking her hand in his.  For a moment, they just stayed silent.

Just as Maria was about to speak, a voice interrupted the moment.

"Jack, I—"  

Samantha stopped the second she stepped through the doorway.  As Jack's head spun to look at her, she immediately cleared her throat and stared at the floor.  "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt, I'll uh... I'll come back."  

Maria was staring at Jack when he turned back around.  "You have work to do," she said, trying to keep the edge out of her voice.  She let go of his hand.  

"Yeah."          

"Maybe you'll find this girl and you can make it home tonight," she said, hopeful, but he remained silent.  

She finally turned and walked out of his office.  

**

"Sam."  

Jack's voice caught her off-guard, and she jumped slightly before spinning around her chair to face him.  

"What did you want earlier?" he asked, his eyes trying to remain neutral.  

"Oh, Vivian wanted to know if she should bring in Doctor Patel."  

"She might as well," he said.  "I'd like to talk to him anyway."  

Sam nodded and stood, crossing to the whiteboard to write the doctor's name under the list of suspects.  Jack's eyes followed her.  

"Look, Sam..."  

Danny and Martin cut short his attempt at an explanation as they entered the bullpen.  They sat down at the table, casting a few glances in Jack's direction.  

"So what's on the agenda, boss?" Danny asked.  "Tommy's all but clammed up at this point.  Should we let him go?"  

"No, let's hold that piece of crap as long as we can, and then nail him with possession charges on the stuff you guys found at the house."  Jack ran a hand over his mouth.  "Martin, Danny... I want you guys to dig deeper on the sister, Karen.  Look into her phone records, expense accounts.  Flag anything that stands out to you."  

Danny nodded, moving to his computer.  Martin took a step toward Jack, keeping his voice low.  "Look, Jack... about earlier... "

Jack thought about cutting him off, but some surge of pride wanted to see how far his colleague would go.  He could see Martin struggling with his next words.

"We're all just... kind of... concerned," Martin finally admitted, looking like he wished he hadn't said anything at all.  

Jack caught Sam's eye as she briefly glanced over her shoulder, and he quickly swallowed his first choice words.  "Noted," he finally said, and Martin slowly nodded, walking over to join Danny at his desk.  

Jack turned to find Sam, but she'd moved to her chair, her neck craned as she held the phone to her ear, busily jotting down information.  He took one more look, and then headed back across the hall.

**

The words on the report blurred, and Jack blinked again, the letters sharpening slightly.  Rubbing his eyes, he yawned, wondering just how long he'd been sitting there staring at the same page.  

There was a knock on his office door, and Vivian stuck her head through.  "Doctor Patel is here, if you'd like to talk to him."  

Jack blinked once more before standing and heading for the door.  As he tried to leave, Vivian stood in his way, and he raised an eyebrow at her.  

"You don't have to do this, I can have one of the boys go in there—"

Jack rolled his eyes, smirking slightly.  "I never took you for a gossip."

"Jack—"

"Like I told Martin, I'm fine," he said, his eyes narrowing.    

Vivian remained where she was.  "Martin isn't the one who told me."  

For a moment, Jack showed his hand, surprise and a small amount of embarrassment washing over his features.  But just as quickly, his guard fell back into place.  "I'm fine."  

Holding her tongue, Vivian finally lowered her head and backed away as Jack stepped out into the hallway.  

**

_24 Hours Missing_

"So how long have you been Andrea's physician, Doctor Patel?"  

Gabriel Patel shifted in his seat and adjusted his glasses, two quirks Jack had taken note of since he'd continued to do both for the past five minutes.  

"About two years."  

Jack flipped a page in the file sitting in front of him.  "And when did you start prescribing medication for her anxiety?" 

The doctor sat back in his chair, thinking.  "About six months ago.  She'd been complaining of panic attack-type symptoms, and I thought a small dose of anti-anxiety pills would help."

"Did you ever recommend a therapist for her?"  

Patel smiled, sitting forward.  "Well, I didn't think it was necessary.  It seemed like a chemical issue."  

Jack leaned his chin on his hand, observing the man across the table from him.  As he continued to stare, the doctor became more and more uncomfortable.  

"How did Andrea react to the news of her pregnancy?"  

The doctor took a deep breath.  "Not so good.  She was very scared."  

"What did you do?"  

Patel cleared his throat and pushed up his glasses.  "Well, I asked if she wanted to keep it, and she said she didn't think so."  

"And then what?"  

"Then I discussed the various methods by which she could abort the baby..."  

Jack waited for him to continue, but he didn't.  "So what did she decide?"  

Patel shrugged.  "I'm not sure.  I guess she would have discussed that further with the doctor who would be performing the procedure."

"And who would that be?"  

"She didn't tell me," Patel explained quickly.  

"I see," Jack said.  He waited a few seconds before asking, "How much does an abortion cost, doctor?"

"Well, depending on where in the pregnancy it's going to be done... anywhere from 300 dollars to around 600."

"Does insurance help cover it?"

"Well, in New York State, I know that some forms of it do, yes."  

Jack looked at him again, searching... 

"Have you ever performed an abortion, doctor?"

Patel stiffened.  "Never."  

Jack cocked his head.  "Really?  You seem to know an awful lot about abortions for someone who's never done one."  

"I'm a _doctor_," Patel said, getting defensive.  

Jack sat back in his chair, looking over Patel's features, probing his eyes.

The doctor merely sat there, shifting in his chair.  After a moment, he squirmed again and checked his watch.  "Look, I don't mean to be rude, but... I have a business to get back to..."

Jack blinked in mild amazement, and then gestured to the door.  "By all means.  Sorry to bother you."  

The doctor paused at the door, looking back, and then walked out.  

Glancing over at Vivian, Jack sighed in frustration.  "Get a full background on this guy."  Off Vivian's look, he added, "I don't like him, and I really want to know why."  

**

Vivian entered the bullpen to see Martin and Samantha leaning over the conference table, pouring over some phone records and other paperwork.  

"Anything new?" Vivian asked, taking a seat.  

Martin sighed, "Not yet, but the sister's got an awful lot of incoming phone calls in the last month.  Unfortunately the origin number won't show up on the statements."

"What're you thinking?"  

"I think the she's been in contact with Andrea," Martin replied.  

Samantha added, "So she's lying.  Karen said she hadn't heard from her sister in months."  

Vivian nodded, flipping through a pile of phone records.  A few moments later, she felt Samantha's eyes on her, but when she looked up, Sam was staring at the table.  

After another minute, Samantha finally asked, "So where's Jack?"  

Vivian cleared her throat, keeping her eyes on the paperwork in front of her.  "In his office."

Samantha furrowed her brow, wondering why Jack wasn't with the rest of his team, but Danny's voice broke the awkward moment.  

"This boyfriend of hers is a real piece of work," he called from his computer.  "Been in and out of juvie since 16.  Four misdemeanors by the time he was 18, and that was all before he turned to petty theft and assault."    

Martin sighed, "Man, this guy's gotta know more than he's saying.  I think Danny and I should try to talk to him again—"

Vivian shook her head. "I don't think that's a good idea.  You should clear it with Jack first."

Martin lowered his voice.  "Yeah, well, I was hoping Jack wouldn't be involved in this interview..."

Samantha shot him a look, and Vivian narrowed her eyes.  "He's still your boss, Martin."   

He was about to protest when Jack suddenly appeared, glancing at the mound of paperwork on the table.  

"Any developments?" he asked.  

Martin told him about the phone records, and then glanced at Vivian before adding, "I think we should talk to Tommy again.  There's something he isn't telling us."  

Jack shook his head.  "I want you and Danny to go talk to the sister and find out why she's been lying to us."  

"Jack, this guy knows all sorts of low-life types – maybe one of them took Andrea and—"

"I'll talk to him," Jack interrupted, rather irritated.  

Martin prepared to square off, but then backed down, looking over at Danny.  

Jack continued, "I'm not doing it to piss you off, Martin.  Sam and I have already talked to Andrea's sister – I'm hoping she might tell you two something she didn't tell us, or slips up and we catch her in a lie."  

Martin swallowed and nodded, walking to his desk to get his coat.   

**

tbc…


	6. Chapter 6

Absolution

By Midnight Caller

Disclaimer, et all in chapter one.  Thanks for the feedback! :)

**

Chapter 6

Sam entered the interview room first, immediately catching Tommy's eye, but then he sighed heavily when Jack walked in and shut the door behind him. 

"Look, man, I got rights.  You touch me again and—"

"Shut up, Tommy," Jack interrupted, sitting across from him.  

Tommy again eyed Sam, looking her up and down.  She raised an eyebrow, but stayed quiet.  

"Hey—" Jack called, catching Tommy's eye. "Maybe you could remember for five minutes that your pregnant girlfriend has been missing since yesterday."    

Tommy rolled his eyes, "Of course I remember."  

"Then tell us what else you know," Sam said, leaning onto the table.  

"I don't know anything else—"

"Let's start with why would Andrea need 800 dollars..." Jack said, raising his eyebrows.  "Was it for the abortion?"  

Tommy shrugged.  "I guess so."  

Sam frowned.  "Who told her it was going to cost that much?"    

"Her doctor," Tommy drawled.  

"Which one?" 

Tommy looked at her. "Lady, I don't know her doctor's name."  

Jack leaned forward, "Well, what'd he look like?"  

"Dude, I don't know, I never met the guy."  

"You never went with her?"  Jack asked.  

Tommy almost laughed.  "Yeah, right."  

Jack narrowed his eyes, his nostrils flaring. "Listen to me, you son of a bitch – there's a very scared young woman out there right now who's pregnant with _your child_."  

That didn't seem to impress Tommy, who merely replied, "I _told you – she's getting rid of it."_

Jack stood quickly, his chair scraping against the floor as he pushed it back.  Tommy watched as he walked around the table and then leaned next to him, inhaling deeply.

"I'm going to see to it that you rot in jail for the rest of your life," Jack started, his voice low.  "First I'm going to start with that giant bag of pot we found at your house... then I'm going to get you on distribution of narcotics with that nice score you had earlier..."

With each word, Tommy grew more and more agitated, his breathing increasing as he clenched his fists on the table.

Jack leaned even closer.  "And then I'll make sure you have lots of company in your cell block---"

Tommy suddenly lunged at Jack, one hand connecting with his cheek while the other reached for the gun on his waist. They both fell to the floor, and the breath left Jack's body in a rush, his hands desperately trying to keep his assailant away from his weapon.  

Samantha ran over just as Tommy had loosened the firearm from Jack's holster, his shaking hands trying to get a grip.  But just as his fingers wrapped around the handle, Sam caught him from behind, her arms wrapping around his neck in a headlock.  Tommy dropped the gun and flailed around, trying to shake her loose, but she wouldn't let go.

She continued to hold him as two agents ran into the room, one of whom immediately cuffed Tommy's thrashing hands together.  The other agent helped lift him up, and roughly sat him in the chair again, this time chaining his hands to the table.  

Tommy continued to struggle, ratting his cuffs, spit flying from his mouth as he shouted curses in Jack's direction.          

Jack stood and stared at Tommy, his eyes full of fear and rage and that terrible hollowness Sam couldn't stand to see.  The door slammed as he left the room.

Sam finally rose from the floor, following Jack out into the hall.  She felt a dreadful sense of familiarity as she chased after him down the corridor again, calling after him.  

She caught up with him at the elevator, as he pushed the button angrily, rubbing his cheek with his hand.  

Reaching for him, she stepped forward.  "Are you okay?"  

He stepped back, pushing away her hand, and her eyes immediately filled with hurt.  

"Jack—"

"I'm fine," he assured her, rather gruffly, and then punched the button again, cursing the absence of the elevator.  

She just stood there, speechless, as he glanced around and then finally headed for the stairwell door a few feet away.  The door slammed shut before she realized he had gone through it, and it snapped her back to reality as she suddenly took off after him.  

She was 10 steps away when he looked up and saw her, but he continued to make his way down the stairs.  

"Hey!" she called angrily.  

He finally slowed his pace to a stop, sighing heavily as he leaned against the railing.  

Having caught up, she stared him down.  "That's twice, Jack," she pointed out, but he wasn't sure if she meant the number of times she'd saved his life that day, or the number of times he had run away from her.  

"You'd better get someone else to work this case with you," she finally blurted out, turning to walk away.  "Although I'm not so sure Vivian will put up with this..."  

He quickly grabbed her arm and met her eyes.  "I don't want Vivian." 

There was a moment where she decided to break free and walk away, but something in his eyes made her stay.  The emptiness had been replaced, at least for the moment, with a look she hadn't seen in a while, the look he used to give her so long ago...

Sighing, her posture loosened, and she gazed down at the hand on her arm before bringing her eyes back up to his.  "Then let me help you," she pleaded, stepping toward him.  

He bit his lip, his eyes shifting from her to the floor and then back to her.  "I don't need—"

She gave him a quick look of exasperation.  "Can I at least look at where he hit you?  He got you pretty good."  Her defenses seemed to be back up, but he couldn't be sure.

He sighed, frustrated, but she had him trapped against the railing at this point, and he had a sense he wasn't going anywhere.  

"Just let me look at you, for God's sake," she said, moving closer.  

He tried to back away, but couldn't go very far.  She got another inch closer.  

"Come on, just let me see..."  

One more inch.  

He shied away again and she sighed, "Jesus, Jack, don't be such a baby."       

Just as he tried to protest, he felt her hand on his cheek, and the words got caught in his throat, escaping as a kind of quiet, strangled moan.  

Her fingers were warm on his skin as she lightly ran them over his developing bruise and the slight abrasion that had been stinging for the past five minutes.  

"Looks like a small cut," she told him quietly, her breath hot against his cheeks.  "You should get some ice, maybe..."  

She was still touching his skin, and they both knew at this point she wasn't examining any injury.  He met her eyes, so close, and quickly fought back the strong urge to kiss her that had suddenly swelled within him. 

His eyes fluttered shut as her fingers slid across his cheek once more, and he suddenly put his hand over hers, opening his eyes.  "...Don't..." he whispered, barely audible. 

She didn't move.  "Why?" she asked, just as softly.    

His eyes closed again, briefly.  "I... can't..."  His hand tightened around hers, gently bringing it away from his cheek.  

Blinking away the tears, she swallowed and looked away.  As she pulled back her hand from his, her fingers suddenly brushed the cold metal on his hand, and she almost jumped at the contact.  

"Okay," she finally said, backing away.  

He tried to explain with his eyes, but she merely turned and walked down the steps to the nearest exit door.  It slammed with a terrifying bang as he stood alone in the stairwell, regret starting to replace the hollowness in his eyes.      

**

tbc…


	7. Chapter 7

Absolution

By Midnight Caller

You all rock with the gracious amounts of feedback and kind words – I can't thank you enough for reading. :)  

**

Chapter 7

_26 Hours Missing_

Danny and Martin stood outside Karen Feldman's loft, ringing the buzzer.  When there was no answer, Danny banged on the door.  

"Karen Feldman?  FBI – open the door!"  

Still no answer.  

Martin sighed.  "This is such a joke.  Jack just wants me out of the office, I think."  

Danny seemed surprised.  "Give the guy some slack... he's sort of been through the ringer lately."  

Martin paused before replying. "Look, I know that, but sending us all the way out here when we could have just called and—"

"Hey, Jack's the boss," Danny said.  "Plus he sent me with you, and I haven't been in his doghouse for a long time," he added with a smirk.    

Martin smiled slightly, and then they both turned at the sound of a door opening down the hall.  An elderly woman poked her head out into the hallway, and then quickly retreated, shutting her door.  

Danny glanced at Martin before they both started toward down the hall.  Martin knocked first, then Danny.  

"FBI – open the door, please," he announced.  

Finally, the locks began to turn, and the old woman appeared, hiding behind her door.  Danny tried to look as harmless as possible as he pulled out his badge.  

"Ma'am, I'm Special Agent Taylor with the FBI... do you know Karen Feldman?"  

The woman looked him up and down before answering a shaky, "Yes."  

"I realize it's late, but we'd like to ask you some questions if that's all right with you..."  

After a few seconds, the woman nodded, her door opening with a creak.  

**

"Son of a bitch..."

Vivian's voice broke through the relative silence of the bullpen, and Samantha spun in her chair.  "What?"

Shaking her head, Vivian stood and walked over to her colleague.  "I'm doing a background on our good Doctor Patel.  This guy is lucky to be practicing medicine.  Twice he's been sued for malpractice, one of which was for a nondescript procedure involving the drug mifepristone."  

Samantha caught Vivian's disbelieving eyes.  "Mifepristone?  As in RU-486?"

Vivian nodded.  "Let's find out what other little lies this guy's been feeding us."  

Samantha turned to make the phone call, but stopped as her hand touched the receiver.  "Should we tell Jack?"  

Vivian hesitated.  "He's on a personal errand."  

Sam seemed surprised, automatically glancing at her watch.  "At... 11:30 at night?"

"He told me he'd be back in an hour," Vivian said, trying to remain impartial.       

Sam pursed her lips, pushing aside her emotions.  "Then let's bring Patel back in here," Sam said, picking up the phone.

**

The front door creaked slightly as it swung open, and Jack tried to shut it as softly as he could behind him.  The apartment was fairly dark, save for one lamp on in the living room, and as he quietly walked over to the sofa, he saw Maria sitting at one end, a blanket pulled up around her waist.  

With just a hint of irritation, she put down the book she was reading, and watched as he sat across from her on the edge of a chair.  

Jack licked his lips.  "We had a slight lull in the case and I figured I would try..." he gestured, searching for the words.  He eventually just gave up and looked at his wife.  

She suddenly leaned forward, reaching for his cheek.  "What happened?" she asked, panic shooting through her voice.  

He gently pushed her hand away.  "It's nothing, just a bruise.  I'm fine."  

Worry still etched into her features but she realized she had hit a brick wall.  Sighing heavily, she leaned back.  "The girls wanted to know where you were tonight."  

Jack let out a slow breath.  "I told you that I wasn't sure I'd be able to make it back—"

"I know what you said," she interrupted.  "But they still asked.  And I don't know how many times you're willing to let them think that you love them less than you than your job."  

His breath left his lungs in a loud huff.  "You know that isn't true.  They know that."

"How, Jack?" she asked, her voice straining.     

He dropped his head, blinking rapidly as he tried to think of the right response.  

Maria pulled away her blanket and reached a hand over to touch one of his.  "I know your job is important, but..."

He met her eyes.  "What do you expect me to do?" he asked quietly.  

She sighed, "I realize you've been trying since you moved back here, but... ever since a few weeks ago, I just feel like you've been... even more distant than before."  

Jack sat back in the chair, leaning out of reach of his wife's hand.  "You mean the Spaulding case."  

His wife looked him straight in the eye.  "You need to let it go, Jack.  This whole house is suffering along with you."

The sadness in his eyes was soon joined by anger, but he kept calm.  "I... can't just... let it go."  

"Maybe you should see a therapist.  They have those at the bureau, don't they?"  

Jack closed his eyes, taking a deep breath.  "It isn't just going to go away..."  

"Well, you're going to have to try!" Maria stood, her voice now a loud whisper.  "Because I don't know how to help you, especially when you're only here a few hours every other day."  

"That isn't fair—"

"Face it, Jack – your job is the most important thing in your life."  

He stood, trying to hold her arms.  "You know that isn't true—"

"It _is_!  Why can't you just accept that?" she almost screamed, holding back her voice to keep from waking their children.  "You come home at almost midnight with your face bruised and cut and I'm just supposed to accept it all as part of the kind of life I want?  As the kind of husband I need you to be?"

"Maria—" he tried to reach for her again, but she stepped back.  

"I can't," she choked out, bringing a hand to her mouth.  "I can't... do this anymore."     

A heavy silence suddenly filled the room, and then came the sound of Maria's muffled sobs as they escaped from beneath her hand.  

Jack tried one more time to touch her but she retreated, and his arms fell to his sides.

He finally nodded, running a hand through his hair.  "Okay," he lamented quietly, waiting a few seconds for a response before shuffling toward the door.  

He took one last look back at the hunched outline of his wife, and then walked out into the night.  

**

tbc…


	8. Chapter 8

Absolution

By Midnight Caller

Disclaimer, etc., in chapter one.  

And, once again, thank you for all the reviews! :)

**

Chapter 8

_29 Hours Missing_

Vivian stared down Doctor Gabriel Patel, who was trying his best to appear as relaxed as possible.  

"You know your officers woke me up," he said.  "It's almost two in the morning—"

"Why are you lying to us, Doctor?"  Vivian asked calmly.  

Patel laughed nervously.  "What?"

Samantha frowned and stepped away from the wall, leaning onto the table.  

"In 1998 you were sued for malpractice.  You remember that case?" she said sternly.  

Patel nodded slightly.  

Samantha read from the file in her hand.  "Unlawful use of Mifepristone.  Care to elaborate?"  She turned her eyes back to Patel, who remained silent.  "Let me tell you what I think that means, then.  It means you lied to us – you _have_ performed abortions.  You just didn't report them.  That's illegal, in case you weren't aware.  You must've had one hell of a good lawyer."  

Patel licked his lips and stared at the table.  

"Got anything to add to that?" Vivian asked, but got no response.

Samantha was losing her patience.  "You offered to abort Andrea's baby yourself.  Am I right?"  

Patel looked at Sam, then back at the table.  

Suddenly Sam's hand smacked the surface, hard, and Patel jumped.  "Answer me!" she yelled.

He looked at her, shocked.  "Yes, I offered to abort the fetus!"  Off Samantha's glare, he explained, "Hey, I didn't want her going to some guy on the street who was going to use a bottle of alcohol and a rusty coat hanger."

"What about any number of clinics around here?  Like Planned Parenthood?"

"Who knows what qualifications those guys have," Patel scoffed.

His justification didn't impress Sam, who was growing more and more impatient with his bravado.  "So you talked her into letting you do it.  And then you decided to add a little extra to the charge, make a little profit," she said, trying to keep her calm as she felt her control slipping away.  

Patel cleared his throat.

Sam's blood pressure continued to rise as she asked, "How do you think someone like Andrea was supposed to get _800 dollars?"   _

"Hey, her friend seemed to have money," he shot back.  

Samantha furrowed her brow.  "What friend?"

"The friend who came with her when I told her she was pregnant.  Some girl."

Samantha waited a moment, her mind churning.  "What'd she look like?"

Patel rolled his eyes.  "I don't rememb—"

"Think!  Did she have long, dark hair?"

The doctor sighed heavily.  "Yeah, I think so.  Kinda looked like Andrea, too."    

With a sneer of disgust, Samantha regarded Patel for another moment, and then backed away and walked out the door.

Vivian quickly followed, catching up to her in the hallway.  

"The sister," Sam explained absently, her mind still reeling.  

Vivian nodded slightly, and then asked quietly, "How'd you know about --" 

"Lucky guess," Samantha said dryly, still walking.  "I went on the hunch that the guy was a complete asshole.  Guess I was right."  

She unclipped her phone and dialed a number.  Waited.  "Danny, it's Sam.  Have you found the sister yet?"  She waited again, listening.  "Really?"  She sighed, "Yeah, okay.  Listen, Karen knew about Andrea's pregnancy – she was at the doctor's with her.  Yeah?  All right, thanks."  

Sam hung up and turned to Vivian as they walked into the bullpen.  "One of Karen's neighbors saw Andrea at her sister's apartment the night she disappeared."  

Vivian sighed, shaking her head.  "This case makes less and less sense the more we dig into it."  Breaking off from Sam's path, she took a seat at her desk.   

Sam headed straight for the whiteboard, adding that Andrea was at Karen's apartment on the D.O.D.  Then she perched herself on the edge of the conference table while Vivian mulled over some paperwork.    

Samantha stared at Andrea's picture again, the sad eyes staring back at her.  

_Where are you?_ she asked, but before the photograph could answer, Vivian spoke.

"What are you thinking?" she asked.

Blinking, Sam cocked her head, staring at the timeline.  "This girl is scared.  Very scared," she observed, her voice distant, as she found herself being drawn in by the picture.  "She'd gone to everyone she knew and they couldn't help her.  Not even her doctor."  Her eyes scanned back up to the photograph again.  To the sad eyes.  "Maybe she just couldn't take it anymore..." she said quietly, more as an afterthought than a theory.  

"I'll put out a tap on morgues and hospitals for anyone matching Andrea's description," Vivian said from behind her, a tinge of sadness in her voice.

Sam nodded absently, and then she finally turned, opening her mouth to say thank you – when she suddenly stopped.  

Jack was standing there and he was looking at her, his hands shoved into his pockets.  His eyes looked reddened but she couldn't be sure.  

After another long moment, he finally said, "First the boyfriend.  Then the doctor.  Now the sister. Makes you wonder if anyone we've talked to has been telling us the truth."  

Licking her lips, Sam looked down briefly before catching his eyes again.  "Yeah."  

Lowering his voice, he dipped his head.  "Nice read on Dr. Patel."  

The compliment caught her off-guard, but Sam still managed a quiet, "Thanks."  

Jack turned to head into his office, avoiding Vivian's look as he passed her desk.  "Let me know when Martin and Danny get here with the sister," he called back.  

**

_31 Hours Missing_

Jack sat up his chair, blinking rapidly in an attempt to keep his eyes open.  He stifled a yawn, stretching his neck side to side before glancing at the clock: 4:02am.  

Letting out a deep breath, he rubbed his temples, and then looked over into the bullpen.  Vivian had gone home to get a few hours' sleep, but he wasn't sure if Samantha had been as wise.  Seeing a faint glow from her desk, he sighed. 

Staring at his desk again, he finally pushed back his chair and strolled across the empty office.  

As he approached Samantha's desk, he suddenly slowed his pace, walking very lightly on his feet.  He guessed that she'd fallen asleep right in the middle of reading something.  

When he was a few feet away, he stopped, tilting his head to the side, watching her.  Her head rested flat on her hand, which was acting as a pillow between her and the desk.  Most of her hair had fallen behind her head, away from her face, but a few strands were strewn across her cheeks.  There was a wrinkle across her forehead, as if she was still frowning, even in her sleep.    

Before he could even stop himself, he was reaching out to tuck one of those stray locks behind her ear.  She stirred slightly, taking a deep breath, but then she relaxed.  

A surge of brazenness suddenly shot through him and again his hand found her head, his fingers trailing on her warm skin as he gently lifted the hair off of her cheeks.  

His heart skipped a beat when her eyelids fluttered, and he quickly withdrew his hand, but she only sighed again.  He took one more moment to look at her, and then quietly cleared his throat.  When she still didn't wake up, a tiny smirk crossed his lips.  He'd forgotten how deeply she could sleep when she was tired.

"Sam," he called quietly, and eventually, one of her eyes opened, followed quickly by the other.

She suddenly realized where she was and shot up straight in her chair, her hand rubbing her eyes as she tried to cover up her embarrassment.  

"I'm sorry," she slurred, her brain still hazy with sleep.  

Jack leaned against the edge of her desk and crossed his arms, still looking down at her.  She caught his gaze and her hand involuntarily flew to her hair, smoothing down any fly-aways.  He was still looking at her.

"What?" she asked, her eyes darting around the room self-consciously.  

His lips seemed to move as if he was about to say something, and she could sense something hiding in his eyes, a kind of vulnerability that she'd only seen a few times before, when they'd shared some deep, personal secret with each other.

"I just feel like we're losing her," he admitted.  "We have to find her."  

She'd never heard him sound like this before.  Desperate.  "We will, Jack."

"We found Doris, too, but..."  His eyes glazed over as he found himself unable to complete the thought.  

Samantha stood, moving in front of him, and lightly placed a hand on his arm.  "Look at me," she said, trying to catch his eyes.  Tightening her grip on his arm, she pleaded, "Look at me, Jack."           

Finally, he looked up with his reddened eyes, filled with such sadness and regret. 

"Saving Doris Lovitt wouldn't have brought back your mother," Samantha said cautiously, aware that she was treading on extremely sensitive ground.  "It wasn't your fault that either of them died."

"I can't..." he shut his eyes, trying to gather himself.  "I can't let it go," he confessed, his voice wavering slightly.  

"Letting go doesn't mean you're forgetting them.  You have to stop blaming yourself," she whispered.  

Jack slowly nodded in agreement until he opened his eyes again.  Samantha was looking at him, her hand applying slightly pressure on his arm as she squeezed it gently.   

The moment didn't last long.  

He suddenly looked away, embarrassment flooding over his face.  "Shit," he sighed, rubbing his fingers over his eyes.  

Her hand dropped to her side.

He stood quickly and turned away, clearing his throat.  He could still feel her eyes on him, and when he looked back, she was standing stiffly, her arms crossed defiantly over her chest.  

After a moment, she turned her back to him and sat at her desk to shuffle through a file.    

He'd shut her out again, and she'd let him do it, perhaps for the last time.  The finality of that thought suddenly struck him, sending a wave of panic through his body.  He wanted to run back and tell her everything, be comforted by her, wrap his arms around her body, forget his marriage and his job and just lose himself in her eyes and the warmth of her touch...   

His wishful thinking was cut short by the ringing of his cell, and if it had been any other day, he would have gladly let it ring forever.  But this wasn't any other day, and he reluctantly flipped it open.  

"Malone," he practically shouted into the phone.  "Yeah, bring her in."  He hung up and then stared at Samantha's back, willing her to turn around.  "Look, Sam..."

He was startled by Vivian's voice behind him.  "Did I miss anything?" she asked, her voice lilting as if she knew she'd just interrupted a moment.  

Jack turned, hoping his eyes were less red than before.  "Danny and Martin found Karen."

Vivian nodded, and then chirped, "Well, I could use a coffee.  You want any?"

"Please," Jack said.

"Samantha?" Vivian asked, still looking at Jack.

Eventually, the blonde swiveled away from her paperwork.  "If you don't mind," she replied curtly before turning back to her desk.  

Vivian shot Jack a knowing look as she headed toward the coffee machine.  

**

tbc…


	9. Chapter 9

Absolution

By Midnight Caller

Disclaimer, notes in chapter one.  We're almost at the end here, and I just want to thank Eolivet again for her beta-ing, and to everyone for their kind words and support.  :)

**

Chapter 9

_32 Hours Missing_

Karen sat in the interview room across from Jack while Danny stood near the wall, arms crossed. 

Dark circles underlined Karen's eyes, and it was clear she hadn't slept in a while.  One hand kept running nervously through her hair.  

"Late night?" Jack asked sardonically.  

Karen glared at him.

He tried a different approach.  "Why'd you lie to us?"  When she didn't answer, Jack prodded her with, "We know you saw your sister recently.  You went to the doctor's with her, right?"   He still got no response.  "Come on, Karen, Andrea's life is at stake here – you have to tell us what you know." 

The hand in her hair ran across her mouth, and then Karen licked her lips.  "I hadn't heard from her in almost four months," she said quietly.  "Then she calls me up, all panicked.  Went and got herself pregnant."  She took a breath.  "Tommy wouldn't go with her to the doctor's... so I said I would."  Shaking her head, she lamented, "Out of all the things I wanted to help bring us back together..."

"Didn't you think it was odd that her doctor wanted so much money to perform the procedure?"

"How am I supposed to know how much those things cost?" 

Jack paused briefly before asking, "What happened when she came to your apartment two nights ago?"  

Karen nodded.  "We fought.  Then she left.  Around six, I guess."

"What'd you fight about?"

She sighed.  "I told her I couldn't give her the money.  A big client of mine had just signed with another photographer, and I just wasn't going to be able to help her out.  I was tired of helping her out of her messes.  But… then I felt bad, so I offered to give her some of it -- a few hundred bucks.  She wouldn't take it, though."

Jack glanced at Danny before asking, "Then what happened?"    

"I told her she should ask our parents for it.  That really set her off.  She said they'd never give it to her.  I told her to ask anyway, but... she wouldn't listen."  Karen swallowed and licked her lips again.  "I told her about the stash – the one my dad keeps in the house.  But I wanted her to let me talk to them first.  She didn't want me to... and she was getting really upset.  So I just gave her my keys.  She took my car and left.  Said she was going to meet Tommy.  That was the last time I saw her..."  Her voice drifted off at this last sentence, her eyes closing against the memory.  

"And you didn't do anything after that..."

Karen looked at him, confused.

"…Like call your parents, for instance?" Jack asked, eyebrows raised.  "Because according to your phone records, you did."

"I..." she stuttered before regaining attempting to regain her composure.  "I just wanted them to know she was coming..."

"But they were out of town, right, Karen?" Danny finally stepped in.  

Karen looked at the table, ready to cry.  "Yes."

For a moment, Jack pitied her, but it quickly vanished.  "She scratched the door up pretty badly.  I guess your keys didn't work."

Karen blinked, furrowing her brow.  "What?"  

He leaned forward.  "Your keys – they didn't work.  And when she couldn't get in, she panicked, drove off, and that was the last time _anyone_ saw her."  

Danny winced slightly at Jack's tone, but he remained quiet.  

Karen's jaw was slack with astonishment.  "Are you saying this is my fault?" 

"I'm _saying_ that you gave your sister a false set of keys."  

Tears started to form in Karen's eyes, her mouth pulled taut by anger.  "I didn't know they wouldn't work!" she told him, her voice desperate as her eyes darted back and forth between Danny and Jack. 

As Jack prepared his next attack, the door suddenly opened, and Samantha's head appeared.  "Jack," she said, waving him toward her.  

Still staring at Karen, he rose and walked out the door.  

Out in the hallway, Samantha explained, "The parents are here."  

Jack looked at her and then took a deep breath.

**

"I want to know why you've brought our daughter in as a suspect at five o'clock in the morning!" Patricia Feldman screamed, her husband's arm around her shoulders.  

Jack raised his hands and tried to remain calm.  "Mrs. Feldman, I know you're upset, but Karen's statement was inconsistent with other witnesses, and we needed to interview her in—"

"I just can't believe you think she'd have something to do with Andrea's disappearance!" Patricia interrupted.  She was on the brink of tears, shaking from the stress.

"She isn't a suspect," Samantha explained, emerging from the back of the interview room.  "We just needed to find out what she knew."  

Patricia looked at her, nonplussed.  David sighed angrily, growling, "This is ridiculous."

Jack regarded him for a moment.  "Mr. Feldman... Karen called you the day Andrea disappeared, right?"  

David thought for a moment.  "Yes.  On our cell phone while we were out of town.  I guess it was around dinnertime.  She told us Andrea was coming over to the house, and of course, we were concerned."  

"What did you do?"

David glanced at his wife, "We did what we always do – we called Joe." 

Jack frowned, glancing at Sam.  "Who's Joe?" 

Patricia chimed in, "He's our neighbor.  Lives a few doors down.  Does favors for us now and then because Karen shoots his family portraits for a discount every year." 

"Favors?" Samantha asked warily.

"Yes.  He owns his own business, Oceanside Lock and Key, and since we'd had so many problems with Tommy and Andrea before, he offered to help us again..."

Jack sat back in disbelief, the breath leaving his body in a quiet sigh.  "You changed the locks," he said almost inaudibly.  

David looked at Jack, then to Sam, and then to his wife.  "Well, yes.  Joe just gives us the new keys when we get home... I don't understand—"

"Your daughter desperately needed your help that night," Jack cut him off, angrily.  "She was scared, she was frightened, and she was looking for someone to help her.  She was looking for _you."   _

The Feldmans looked at him, confused.  "She knows she can always come to us for help," David explained.  

Narrowing his eyes, Jack sat forward.  "Andrea is six weeks pregnant."  He watched the shock pass over them.  "Her doctor scammed her and told her she'd need 800 dollars to get an abortion."  

Patricia was almost too in shock to move, her mouth frozen open in horror and realization.  David wrapped his arm around her again, his eyes searching the room as he tried to figure it all out.  

"So... so she wanted to get into our house... for the money?" he asked, still unsure how to feel.  

"Maybe," Jack replied, his voice calmer.  "Or maybe she just really wanted to see her parents."  

He let that last thought sink in as Patricia clutched her husband's shirt even tighter.  

There was a knock at the door, and Vivian poked her head in.  She caught Jack's eye and motioned with her head for him to come out into the hall.  Samantha followed him outside.  

Out in the hallway, Vivian sighed, "Rockland county police just called.  They found Karen's car at the bottom of a ditch on Highway 17.  The sheriff said it probably went off the road during the ice storm two nights ago.  A woman matching Andrea's description was taken to a local hospital in critical condition.  They said she'd been trapped in the car for a while..."

Jack glanced at Vivian before his eyes traveled back through the glass of the interview room.  Patricia's shoulders were shaking even harder as she started to cry.  

Letting out a deep breath, he said, "Thanks, Viv."  

Vivian walked away as Jack went back into the room, quietly shutting the door.  

Sam stepped up to the window, watching as Jack slowly sat down, and then started to gesture with his hands.  

After a moment, David looked stricken, turning white as his wife's crying turned to sobbing, her whole body heaving with each breath as she collapsed against her husband.  

Eventually, Jack rose from his chair and left them alone.  He paused out in the hall, where he caught Sam's eyes for a few seconds before walking away.  

**

tbc…


	10. Chapter 10

Absolution

By Midnight Caller

I have not now, or ever owned these characters...

Eolivet – thank you for the read-throughs and comments, and thanks to everyone who took the time to write feedback and support – it really means a lot to me. :)  

**

Chapter 10

Karen sat by the side of her sister's hospital bed, her face buried in her hands, her mind too overwhelmed to form a cohesive thought.  

Horrified by the number of tubes connected to her daughter's body, Patricia Feldman stared at the sight before her, one hand covering her mouth as her eyes traveled up and down each piece of medical equipment keeping Andrea alive.  

David kept his distance, leaning against the opposite wall, but even a cursory glance into his eyes would've shown how terrified he was, remorse washing over his features as his eyes began to fill with tears.

**

Outside the room, Samantha watched, pleased that they'd found Andrea alive, but saddened by the ordeal she would still have to endure.  

After another moment, she turned, looking down the hallway to the familiar man sitting in a chair, head in his hands.  

As Samantha approached Jack, he stood.  

"They have her stabilized," she told him.  "But she'll be unconscious at least until tomorrow."

Jack cleared his throat.  "And the family?"  

Sam looked at him for a moment before answering, "They'll be okay."  She held his gaze, wordless, until she closed her eyes and said, "I think I'm ready to go."  

**

Outside, the air was crisp and biting, the buildings and cars bathed in the blue/yellow light of early morning.  Another cold front was on its way, blocking most of the rising sun behind a thick layer of gray clouds.  Some straggling birds flew overhead in a makeshift pattern, their scattered vocalizations echoing quietly in the frigid air.  

Compared to the bustling city less than an hour south of them, everything seemed so... still.    

Despite the cold, Samantha seemed to be comforted by how quiet it was, and she paused outside the car for a moment to watch her breath puff out of her mouth.  

Jack observed her from only a few feet away, the cold air nipping at his nose and ears.  He saw the crinkle in her brow, and the circles under her bloodshot, glazed eyes, but he still thought she was just as beautiful as the first time he saw her.  

She caught him staring at her, and was slightly taken aback by the intensity of his gaze.  But then she looked away, shaking her head in irritation, and turned around to unlock the car.  

The door opened a few inches and then stopped as she shut her eyes and took a deep breath.  She shut the door and spun around to face him, her hands moving back into her coat.       

"What, Jack?" she said, not really wanting to hide the frustration in her voice.  

Acknowledging her discouraged expression, he leaned back against the car next to theirs and imitated her stance, shoving his hands into his pockets.  

Another moment passed and he still kept quiet.  Her patience was wearing thin, and she was ready to drive back to New York without him at this point.  

Just as she was about to tell him her plans, he spoke.

"I ran away once," he admitted softly.  "A week after the day I... found my mother."  

Sam glanced briefly at the ground, slightly uncomfortable, and then looked back over at him. 

His eyes glazed over as they seemed to take him back to that day.  "My father and I had gotten into a fight and... I think I just wanted him to feel what I was feeling -- what it was like to be completely alone..."  

A slight hint of moisture began to gather in his eyes, and Sam suddenly felt a tug at her heart, a heavy sadness weighing it down as she watched him remember.  

"I came back the next day, and I could tell he hadn't slept, but... there was no welcome from him.  We didn't speak for days.  I could see it in his eyes – I'd left him when he needed me the most.  It was..." he paused to swallow, his voice suddenly cracking.  "It was exactly what I'd done to her." 

Samantha's heart shattered, watching him unravel like this, but as much as it hurt her and hurt him, she stayed where she was, her hands reluctantly digging deeper into her pockets.  

He looked toward the hospital as a tear clung to his eyelid, poised to fall down his cheek.    

"And I thought finding that poor girl in there would somehow... help... but it didn't.  And neither will the next one."  He blinked, and the tear broke free. 

He quickly wiped the moisture from his skin, and it was when his hand dropped back into his pocket that he felt the heavy silence in the air, the look in Samantha's eyes the only comfort she was able to give him.  

Jack's eyes fell to the pavement as his hand reemerged from his pocket, his left thumb restlessly rubbing against the ring on his finger.    

"It was almost thirty years ago... I know I have to let it go.  But I just... I wish I could've told her..."  He looked up, his eyes filled with sadness as he grieved for his mother, for Doris Lovitt, for a son's betrayal of his father.  

Sam felt pressure at the back of her throat, and the air stung at the moisture gathering in her eyes.  Slowly, she stepped toward him, her cold fingers coming to rest on top of his.  They both looked down at their hands before their eyes met again.

It seemed like an eternity before he said anything.  

"I'm sorry," he whispered, so quiet that she probably would have never heard it were it not for her proximity.  

Watching her expression carefully, his other hand left his pocket and reached over to brush across her jaw.  She closed her eyes, and her hand tightened around his.  

Momentarily, she feared that he would stop and walk away, just like before, but when he only continued to make lethargic circles on her skin, she brought her other hand up to meet his, her fingers sliding lightly across his wrist.  

Their eyes connected, and he slowly moved his fingers up toward her cheek, his thumb sliding over the corner of her mouth.  

She swallowed as he leaned forward, and just as he was inches away she whispered, "She knows."  

His fingers slid toward her ear, grazing against her neck as they moved to cradle her head, and then he pulled gently, bringing their lips together almost chastely for a warm, comforting kiss.  

Their mouths parted, and he met her eyes briefly before pulling her into an embrace, his arms wrapping around her as he rested his head on top of hers.  She hugged him back, her head easily falling into place against his chest as if no time at all had passed since they had last done this.  

Closing his eyes, he released a quiet sigh, and for that moment, he finally let go.  

(fin.)


End file.
